Monthly Archives: July 2016

Two dozen workers laid off by their employer Spirit AeroSystems allege the Wichita, Kansas company targeted older workers during workforce reductions in 2013. Many of these employees had costly medical conditions or had family members with costly health problems. The federal class-action lawsuit alleging age discrimination was filed by these former employees and other employees age 40 or older who suffered from other layoffs with the company that year. The complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Wichita challenges the employment discharges and alleges the workers were blacklisted, while the company hired hundreds of individuals in the following years. The company responded by stating it does not discriminate in its employment practices. As older workers continue to make up a large percentage of the workforce, we continue to see numerous examples of age discrimination, in layoffs and hiring, but few remedies. There are laws against discrimination that help protect workers age 40 or older. To better understand your rights in the state you work, consider contacting a labor lawyer or law firm near you. Agencies such as the Missouri Commission on Human Rights (MCHR) may also be able to help employees suffering from discrimination and/or harassment at work.

A federal lawsuit filed against Shawnee County District Attorney, Chad Taylor, by two former employees has been rescheduled for January 4th, 2017. The lawsuit, filed in 2012, claims race discrimination and gender discrimination and other factors that led to their wrongful termination from the Taylor’s office. The former employees, both female and both Caucasian, reported gender discrimination because female employees were not provided with a location to breast feed or pump in the office. They also alleged their supervisor engaged in racial discrimination towards a Hispanic employee. These workers were ultimately given the choice of resigning from their position or having their employment terminated. Taylor announced in May that he would not be seeking election to a third term. This case in a good example and reminder that even if an employee is not directly experiencing discrimination or harassment, if they witness and report such mistreatment, they have protections also. Anti-discrimination laws can provide protection to workers opposing employment practices that they reasonably believe discriminate against individuals, in violation of these laws. Employment attorneys in the Kansas City area take race discrimination and harassment at work seriously and want to assist. If you are experiencing similar mistreatment from your employer but are unsure of your rights, consider contacting a labor lawyer at a law firm near you.

Workers can find themselves in a difficult position when they witness or become aware of other employees exhibiting potentially threatening behavior. This raises questions such as what harassment is, whether to report it, and if so, to whom? Employers have an obligation to employees to prevent harm from happening and to foster a place of employment free of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. Employees should feel they can report worrisome behavior that should be investigated, but often fear retaliation. Harassment at work and other forms of mistreatment, such as discrimination or threats of violence are very serious issues that employers must properly address, investigate, and correct. Contacting a law firm or consulting with a lawyer can help workers better understand their rights, protections, and laws against discrimination. The article below details one Kansas City employment law attorney’s insight on the topic and a description of a Jackson County case involving violence at a work site and how it could have been prevented. If you are experiencing similar mistreatment on the job, please consider contacting the Bullman Law Firm today.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is investigating a federal lawsuit filed by Cheryl Fillekes, a systems engineer who interviewed with but was not hired by Google when she was 47 years old. Silicon Valley is still in the national spotlight for its lack of racial diversity and gender diversity. Google recently released the breakdown of its workforce by race and gender for a third time, but has not disclosed a breakdown by age. As the technology world continues to grow, it is known that tech leaders seem to show a preference for younger workers and highlights the problems of ageism in Silicon Valley. Fillekes joined an age discrimination lawsuit filed in April 2015 by an individual aged 60 who was turned down for a software engineering job in 2011. The lawsuit cites a survey of employees by Payscale.com that estimates median age of Google’s workforce to be 29 years old. Employment discrimination against applicants or workers based on protected classes, such as age or sex, is illegal. Pao v. Kleiner Perkins was a gender discrimination suit filed in 2012 which gained significant public attention. Ultimately, Pao’s former employer won the case but it called attention to systemic problems for workers in Silicon Valley. These are just a couple examples of discrimination that should serve as a reminder to both employers and employees that discrimination and/or harassment at work are still major problems in 2016. Preventing future discrimination can begin with knowing what discrimination is, what sexual harassment is, what are the current laws against discrimination, how to report it, and how having an attorney could help. Employment lawyers and law firms in the Kansas City, Missouri area may be able to assist if you are experiencing discrimination on the job.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a comprehensive federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any federally funded education program or activity. The main objective is to avoid the use of federal money to support sex discrimination in education programs and to provide individuals protections against those practices. A recent example of the importance of Title IX and it enforcement is highlighted by lawsuits brought by two women against Kansas State for its failure to investigate their alleged off-campus rapes and violating Title IX. The departments of Justice and Education share responsibility for enforcing Title IX, which provides protections to students, male and female, against sexual violence and harassment. The university argued that the lawsuits should be dismissed and the federal government suggested the U.S. District Court in Kansas deny the request to dismiss the suits. It is important to protect students from a hostile educational environment and equally important to protect employees from a hostile work environment. As many students transition to full-time employment after completing their education, it is important for them to know there are laws against discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Labor lawyers hold employers accountable and can typically be contacted through a variety of formats, such as by phone, online inquiry, email, or free consultation. Workers and students facing mistreatment, like sexual harassment or gender harassment, can contact an agency, such as the Missouri Commission on Human Rights, civil rights attorneys, or law firms in their area to better understand what actions they can take.

Longtime anchor Gretchen Carlson filed a lawsuit July 6th alleging sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace. The lawsuit claims Carlson was terminated after refusing Fox News chairman Roger Ailes’ sexual advances and complaining to him about discriminatory treatment. Ailes is a powerful figure and has been the CEO of Fox News Channel during much of its success. Ailes is named as the sole defendant, examples of the alleged sexual harassment are detailed, as are her complaints of persistent harassment in the newsroom and the retaliation that occurred after refusing sexual advances and making complaints. There have been previous allegations against Ailes for sexual misconduct and Carlson’s lead attorney stated that other women who said they had similar experiences with Mr. Ailes had contacted her. Carlson’s lawsuit claims Ailes retaliated against her by reducing her salary, limiting her on-air appearances and declining to renew her contract in June. Employees often fear retaliation after making complaints to their employer about sexual harassment in the workplace, gender harassment, or sex discrimination. Workers experiencing employment discrimination and/or harassment at work want to know more about their rights and laws against discrimination. Consider contacting a labor lawyer for help at a Kansas City law firm today.

Many states have enacted legislation requiring sexual harassment training. Sexual harassment training is essential, as it provides employers the opportunity to inform employees about what sexual harassment is, what the company’s policy is when reporting sexual harassment in the workplace, and can help prevent future sexual harassment. The website for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) describes sexual harassment as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature. It also specifies that harassment does not have to be of a sexual nature and can include offensive remarks about a person’s sex. Labor lawyers hold employers accountable. Since laws against discrimination and harassment can vary by state, workers may choose to contact an employment attorney or law firm in their area to better understand their rights when it comes to harassment at work, such as sex harassment or gender harassment.

In the last several years, paid parental leave has become an important topic amongst employers and employees. This year, the city of San Francisco and the state of New York revealed plans for gender-neutral paid leave of up to six and twelve weeks. Firms such as Twitter and Etsy created similar policies and Netflix introduced unlimited paid leave for men and women for up to a year after the birth of a child. Paternity leave is a big deal and can have a large impact on family habits and division of parenting labor. Recent years have placed a greater emphasis on co-parenting and people challenging themselves to assign roles based on their wants and needs rather than what men and women believe they are supposed to do. While it may be more common to hear about gender issues pertaining to women facing pregnancy discrimination or harassment after returning from maternity leave, the article below points out that fathers who try to obtain better work/life balance may face sex harassment in the workplace too. Harassment can be defined as unwelcome conduct that is based on a protected class, such as sex. Workers have rights. If you are experiencing similar mistreatment in the Kansas City, Missouri area, an employment attorney at the Bullman Law Firm may be able to help. There are laws against discrimination; consider contacting a labor lawyer today to better understand your rights.

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This is provided as a guide only, and not legal advice. Please contact our firm at 1-800-578-4357 for a no-charge legal consultation for sex harassment, sexual harassment or discrimination.